The Blind Leading the Blond
by Hybridbabe
Summary: When a car accident leaves her blind, Becca Durant finds love in the most surprising place: in Bradin.
1. Prologue: A Midnight Call

**Title:** The Blind Leading the Blond  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, so please don't sue!  
**Author's Note:** For those of you who are interested, I'm Jamsangel from the Jesse McCartney Boards, and I've decided to rewrite and put up my Summerland fic here, instead of at my site..... I'm hardly on my site anyway... ANYWAY, this story I've been thinking of before Summerland even aired, but I didn't know how to get the characters down until it premiered so that's why I rewrote it and everything..... Enjoy! Please R&R!

* * *

**Branson, Missouri, 3 Months Before the Westerly Invasion**

Burn. The world burned in her eyes and she cried out in pain, feeling every bit of reality prickling the nerves in her eyeballs. She didn't know where she was at first, bombarded with sounds from everywhere, with only few of them making sense to her in the least bit. Little by little, the sounds of a hospital filtered in; she heard the words 'mother', 'boyfriend', 'car' and 'accident' but none of it was making sense to her at the moment; none of it seemed real.

She could feel the blood pouring out of her eyes right then, rivers of crimson tears running down her face, and she tried to cry them away but the pain was so intense....

Eventually, everything was sent into a tunnel of black, and she could feel no more.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed were the bandages over them. Weakly, she tried pawing at them but they were stuck tight, snug against her skull like a second skin. Her ears prickled up with a more acute sense of hearing, listening as the faint tapping of shoes hit the floor, and a man's voice cleared his throat.

"Ms. Durant," he said, in a tone that she could tell was trying to be sincere, "You're a very lucky girl."

The stomach in her abdomen groaned and she felt nauseous, suddenly recalling what she had been doing before landing herself here. **Oh God, Becca, what the hell did you do? **Sickened, her tummy threatened to dispense of the bottle of vodka she had managed to swallow almost four hours ago, in the shotgun seat of Bobby "Blaze" Hoskins's '94 Mustang. Vague flashes of memory burst through her brain, and she groaned at the memories, "I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

The man in the room chuckled with dry humor, "Ironically, Ms. Durant, that's exactly what happened. If you wouldn't mind me asking a few questions and gaining some explanations...."

Tensing, she inquired, "Are you a cop?"

"A policeman, yes."

"Oh hell, I'm going to jail, aren't I? I'm going to be on the other side of the bars, with the pinstripe suit and a bunk to sleep in."

"Actually, Ms. Durant, I want to ask you some questions about your wreck, not anything else."

Becca groaned, "The wreck? He crashed the 'Stang?"

"Who is 'he', Ms. Durant?"

Surprised, she yelped, 'You don't know who drove the car?"

The policeman sighed, "Ms. Durant, this is an extremely delicate situation you managed to get yourself into. This is all confusing and probably very difficult for you to--"

"Difficult? No, what's difficult is trying to talk to someone when you can't even see their face!" Furiously, her nails started digging at the bandages, trying to dislodge them before a pair of bigger hands clapped her own against her head, "What the--"

"Becca, please!" This time, it was a voice she remembered, one that she loved and enjoyed for the past sixteen years growing up: Nana, her mother's mother; her voice was urgent, but gentle and soft, "Becca, please! Stop clawing at those bandages this instant!"

Immediately, she stopped, but Becca complained, "Nana, why? Why do I even have these on in the first place?!?! And where's Mom?"

Silence filled the room for many moments before a shaky reply answered her, "Honey, your mother is not coming to see you. Becca dear, your mother... she's dead."

Tears welled in the young lady's eyes as the policeman confirmed it, "It's true, Ms. Durant. Your mother was involved in an accident with a drunk driver. Coincidentally, you yourself were in an accident ALSO with a drunk driver. Can you please tell me how these things happened at the same time?"

Becca cried, first one tear, then another as she began to piece things together, "Oh my god, she must have been worried enough..... it was raining and I..... she didn't know...... oh my god...."

"Becca, please slow down."

"She.... she... she....... Mom.... she...... she must have been....... been worried about me she.... she didn't know where I was...." Crying she burst out with it, the guilt bearing down on her like a two ton weight, "I was drinking with Bobby and we were in his car and we....... we pitched forward..."

".........Right into a semi truck," finished the man, taking the time to write all this down, "Ms. Durant, you said this boy was named Bobby?"

"R-R-Robert Hoskins Junior."

"Mrs. Durant, maybe you should tell your granddaughter everything that has to be explained to her right now, alone." Becca could hear him flip his notebook closed, one that he must have had out before she had awoken, and the springs in his seat groaned as he got out of it, his brown leather Oxfords striking the cold hospital tile floor as he got up and left, the door creaking and swinging shut behind him.

"My God, it's all my fault..." cried Becca, wailing, "If I didn't go out there and if I had just told Mom....."

"There, there, don't cry, sweetie," Nana cooed, sitting down in the bed with her and letting the young girl's head rest against her shoulder, with the elder's arms wrapped around her, "Don't cry. Becca, there's two other things I must tell you, but you will not like them one bit. I wish I didn't, but I have to tell you. When you were found at the accident, you didn't have any broken bones or anything, but when you hit the semi, you weren't wearing your seatbelt. Luckily, the air bag engaged and sent your body backwards, but the impact bounced you in your seat, and your head..... it bounced over the bag and into the windshield. The glass shattered and..... honey, I'm not that good at explaining things. The glass, it flew into your eyes and.... Honey, you're blind." She let the news sink in before she continued, "Also, your mother's will gives your custody to your uncle, my Johnny, in California."

"Uncle Johnny?" the girl asked, dumbstruck at everything, images flashed in her brain of her favorite relative, "Wait, isn't he still living with his old girlfriend? Ava Gregory? Awkward..."

Nana nodded, although the younger person could only feel the movement instead of see it, "Which is why, until we make the arrangements, you'll be living with me and your grandfather. Don't worry, everything will be alright, and as soon as we straighten things out, you'll go on the first plane to California."

Words caught in her throat, but Becca held on, tears slipping down, "What am I going to do now...."

* * *

Halfway across the country in a small, split level California home, the cordless phone rang amongst a pile of paperwork, buried like a forgotten treasure on Johnny Durant's desk, the owner of said phone barely able to look up from his laptop computer for five minutes. He had been focused on this case since day one, vigorously trying to entice someone to buy from his real estate agency, so much so that he'd blocked out almost everything else. In fact, he was so engrossed in his work, he failed to realize the phone was even ringing until one of his three housemates answered the phone.

"Hello?" he could hear Ava's sweet, song-like voice from the kitchen, and he unconsciously smiled, savoring her tone. "Yes, this is the house of Johnny Durant... No, no, I'm not his wife..." **Sometimes I wish you were**, he thought absently, before shaking his head, **No, J-Man, you got to focus. Focus on the prize, not on Ava... you two are through with each other... You're just good friends... **Suddenly, he wasn't so sure. Blinking, his brown eyes returned to his work, his thoughts exactly where they were supposed to be...

However, fate had screwed with him again. His bedroom door burst open, and there she was in her Kansas-turned-California glory, but with something that crushed his heart: her eyes, those beautiful eyes or hers, red, tears threatening to form. "Ava!?" he half-shouted, immediately concerned, "Ava, what's...?"

She held the phone out to him, "It's your sister... Johnny... she's gone..."

Ice coated his stomach, the shock striking him dumbfounded, "Wha-what?" He snatched the phone away from her, and placed it to his ear, "Hello?!? What about my sister!??! What happened?"

The next few minutes were torture. Carefully, his mother relayed everything that had happened since the accident had taken the life of his sister, and even he was in tears. God, how he loved Maria, his sister, and they had always been so close, ever since they were kids... A knife twisted in his gut with every word spoken, still not believing his sister was gone, 

"Mom, what's... what's going to happen with Becca? How is she?" His niece was the only person he could think of who would be suffering more than he was at this very moment. If he loved his sister, his niece was the second woman he'd grown close to, especially after the ordeal with her father when she was born. **The damned drunk,** he cursed, thinking about it, **too smashed to even consider raising a child with the woman he slept with...** It was no secret in the Durant family that Maria Durant had made a mistake in having a child by Becca's father, whoever he was. They were drunk, he was flighty and abusive... it was only luck that Johnny himself had gotten there in time, protecting his older sister, and later his niece like a little brother would. That was just who he was, something he never regretted to this day.

His mother gave a long sigh over the phone, "Johnny, Becca was in a car accident as well."

He gasped, "She's ok right? Becca's ok?" Almost jumping, Johnny flinched at a warm hand on his shoulder, Ava's touch trying to soothe him, "She better be..."

"She's as well as anyone could be... Johnny, the car she was riding in, it's windshield shattered, and some of the glass worked its way up into her eyes. She's blind..."

"It's correctable, right? She's not going to be blind for the rest of her life, is she?" Thoughts of his niece, with her medium length brown hair and laughing blue eyes, appeared in his mind, memories of last summer when she'd made her bi-yearly visits to Summerland. **She'll never see the surf again...**

"It may be permanent, I don't know. Listen Johnny, the funeral for Maria will be a week from today."

"Next Saturday?" Horrified, he looked at his calendar, and sputtered, "I-I-I can't, Mom. Oh God, I can't be there at her funeral..." Quickly, an explanation formed, "I've got a major deal going on here, and if I leave now, my friends and I... We're barely floating on my income, Mom. Ava and Susannah have to get their fashion line together, and Jay's surf shop gig only pays for the groceries... If I'm not there for this deal on a house, we're not going to pay the bills, and we're already months behind! We'll get evicted! I've got the notice right here on my desk!"

His mother sighed again, and he could practically see her rub the bridge of her nose in her classic manner, "Johnny, I want you here with me next Saturday. I need someone there with me... Becca needs someone."

"Pop's going to be there, isn't he?"

"You know your father... Stoic, that's who I married."

Johnny groaned, "That's what an army man will do to you... Mom, is there anything I can do?"

"When this is all settled, you can agree to your sister's last wishes."

Now he lived up to his sister's nickname for him: Adamant Durant, "How? Name it, I won't rest until I've done it."

"She left Becca in your care."

"What?" Confused, he looked at Ava with wide eyes, "Becca's in my care? What, as in I'm her guardian? I'm the one Maria left in charge of her?"

"Yes, Johnny. She wanted you, and you've had experience with raising kids before, right?"

"Mom, that was in high school, when Maria couldn't babysit the Maret's twins."

"Please, Johnny, I know that Maria wouldn't leave you Becca if she didn't think you could handle her. And plus, the legal issues won't be solved for a couple more months anyway, and by that time, she'll be more likely to get around on her own. You wouldn't have to watch her all the time."

He shook his head, "Mom, I don't know a thing about raising a blind person!"

"Don't worry! You won't need to teach her anything: she'll teach you. Please, do this for your sister!"

Anything, anything for his sister... "Alright..." They spoke for a few more minutes before he switched off and set the phone down, collapsing in his desk chair while his ex-girlfriend kneeled right next to him, "Ava, what am I going to do?"

"Although I wish you had spoken to us first," she began, "I know how close you and Maria were. That reminds me of me and my sister..." Her hand wrapped in his for a moment, and she squeezed, "But I know you'll get through this. You were always there for me, right? Whenever I needed anything?"

"Yeah, but having a teenager in the house and helping you are two different things."

She smiled, "Yeah, but you forget: I know Becca. She's a good kid, and she knows how to look after herself. Even if she is blind, and things will be different because of that, but I know you'll be the best guardian she could ever have. Besides," a light punch was aimed at his shoulder, "You're the closest thing she's had to a dad since she was born."

Even he couldn't argue with her knowledge. He returned the squeeze and smiled, his heart flittering for just a tiny bit, "I hate it when you're right, Ava."

Grinning, her legs began to boost her up, "I know. Maybe that's why I'm here: to point you in the right direction."

Watching her leave, he breathed in a bit, and Johnny Durant let it out slowly, feeling slightly uneasy but no less than satisfied, "I guess there's going to have to be a few changes in this house... Just wait 'til I tell Jay and Susannah about our newest recruit..."


	2. Chapter 1: An Ordinary Day?

**Six Months Later, on a Sunday Afternoon**

"Whoa, whoa, whoaaaaaaaaa!!!" yelped Johnny, grasping a box to his chest and haphazardly trying to avoid the little bouncing boy with his playmate, Derek rushing around his legs and up to the kitchen's refrigerator, "Slow down there, Cadet! We haven't had lunch yet!!!"

Derek Westerly, eight years old and self-proclaimed 'Space Ranger of Zarthon' took the metallic strainer off his head and grinned, "Come on Johnny! Me and Martha are playing Space Rangers!" He held up his water pistol towards his guardian and went on, "You could be the deadly Plasmoid, Nexus, from the Linda Galaxy!!!"

Martha McFarlane giggled, and looked at the adult expectantly through her curly brown locks, "Come on, Mr. Durant, it'll be fun!"

**Life would never be the same again in this house**, he thought, laughing at how cute the two eight year olds were together. It was hard to imagine that Derek hadn't been in his life three months ago, or his big brother Bradin and big sister Nikki. A heavy blow to Ava's heart had led her towards pre-mature motherhood, something that at times, she didn't know exactly how to deal with. Heck, the only reason why Johnny seemed to be good at it at all was because of Becca, his niece in Missouri, more like his own daughter at times than anyone else's. Johnny sighed heavily, watching the two small children digging into the home appliance and drawing out a platter of fruit Susannah Rexford had so graciously prepared for the house the night before. Derek reminded him of Becca when she was his age, full of spunk and energy that reminded him of her mother, his sister. He hadn't thought about his sibling as much now, due mainly to the kids' arrival after Ava's own sister and brother-in-law died, but that didn't mean she was forgotten. Far from it.

So very far from it.

Derek and Martha placed the platter on the island and unwrapped the plastic wrap on it, gobbling down pieces of strawberries and pineapple as they watched him. "Whatcha thinkin' about, Johnny?" asked the boy.

"Eh, nothin' Derek," he said, dismissing his thoughts and setting the carton he was holding down, "You two just go on ahead and play without me. Maybe you can convince your older brother to hang out instead."

"Convince me of what?" Surprised, Johnny looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with Ava's eldest nephew poking his head in from around a doorframe, a laidback smile drawing lazily across his face, "Callie and I are going to the beach today. She promised me she'd show me some volleyball moves." Bradin strolled in from the garage, bright red swim trunks swishing as he walked towards the kitchen, "By the way Johnny, can I borrow a twenty?"

The dark haired man shook his head, "Sorry my man, no handouts before allowance time. Besides, can't you ask Jay for an extension on your paycheck or something? He's always great about that kinda thing."

Bradin shrugged, blonde hair flopping over his eyes and plopping down on a tall netted chair beside the island, "Yeah, but I did that last week. I still have to pay him back for that, plus an extension last month."

**Money always seemed to be a problem in this house...**

"Hey Bradin, why don't you just make money doing your DJ thing from the party we had a couple months ago?" piped up Derek, mischieviously.

Big brother glared at little brother and glowered, "If I did that, then you'd feel free to break it!!!"

"Hey, HEY! NO fighting here, gents! You can take the sibling rivalry outside, thank you very much!"

Martha agreed, "Derek, let's go outside and play. We can take the fruit out there, can't we Mr. Durant?"

"Sounds like your girlfriend's got a good idea," replied the teen, snatching a few pieces of fruit from the plate on the counter.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!!" shot back Derek, rolling his eyes before grabbing Martha's hand, "Come on, Martha, let's go outside. We can get the fruit later..."

Bradin smirked, watching the two smaller children leave before downing a few more strawberries, "Man, touchy, touchy."

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to be a big brother once in awhile to him," replied Johnny, scolding him, "Take him out swimming, or surfing, or something."

"I'm not taking him surfing! There's no way in hell I'm taking my little brother out—"

"Language!"

He grimaced, "Sorry. Johnny, look, I-"

Johnny cut him off, "Listen, I know growing up isn't a slice of pizza right now, and things are crazy because of your parents passing away, but you know what? Your sibs are the closest thing you've got to your parents right now. Besides, Derek looks up to you. He likes you. He looks up to you. Give him something to look up for."

It had been awhile since he'd done something with the little runt... "Fine," he said, finishing up a kiwi, "I'll do something with him later." Sliding from the chair, he snatched the towel he'd left earlier from one of the other seats and slung it around his neck, hopping down the stairs and toward his room, "I'll just be—"

DING-DONG! The doorbell rang just then, and expecting Callie, Bradin hustled to the door, "It's ok Johnny, I've got it! It's Callie, I bet—"

However, the persons behind the door couldn't have surprised him more. Flinging the door open, a man with white hair, dressed in tan slacks and a short sleeved, blue gingham dress shirt had one hand reclining from the bell, and the other one on the shoulder of a girl Bradin's age, brown, mousy colored hair flapping in the late day breeze. She wore dark sunglasses that he could see his reflection in, and she was dressed in a dark red tank top and dark blue jeans, a black poncho draped over her shoulders.

The man spoke first, "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought this was where Johnny Durant lives."

Bradin sputtered, "Uh, yeah, this is where Johnny is. I mean, he lives here, in this house..."

The girl grinned cynically, "Obviously..."

"Becca," chided the man, squeezing her shoulder, "Apologize."

Behind her glasses, the blonde could have sworn she was rolling her eyes at him, "Sorry for pointing out that you're an idiot."

"BECCA..."

"Yo, Bradin, whose there?" called Johnny, running towards the door, "Is it those door-to-door people ag—"His foot mounted one stair before he started, wide eyed, at the gentleman beyond the door, and was shocked, "Pop?"

Suddenly, the girl relaxed, and her eyes would have shone if she took off her glassess "Uncle Johnny?"

"Beck!" Surprised, he hopped up the stairs and gave her a hug, kissing the top of her head, "Where did you?? How did you??"

"Johnny, we've got a lot to discuss," answered his father, nodding towards Bradin, "as well as your... living conditions."

Bradin himself just shrugged, watching the drama unfold, "Yeah, I think I'd better go find Callie at the beach... right now..."

When she heard him scamper off, Becca snorted, "Not the talkative type, is he? Who is he anyway?"

"Yeah, well..." Johnny began, "it's a long story... a very, VERY, long story..."

* * *

**A/N:** No, Johnny doesn't really have a sister or a niece in the show, but I thought I'd give him one to give him much more depth. There's very little about him that would explain his kind of character, so I thought I'd give him something to explain why he is who he is.

And to clear something up, as sort of a backstory: All the adults know Becca because she used to go fly out to CA every so often (her mother was a lawyer, so she made good money). So Ava, Jay, Susannah and Johnny all know her, as well as Erika because Becca surfed with her a few times, and they became friends.

Bradin, Nikki, and Derek don't know about Becca, and YES, Becca is going to poke, tease and prod Bradin because.. well, she doesn't trust guys. A guy blinded her, her father ran out on her, and although she loves her uncle Johnny, he wasn't there when her mom died. So Becca's got problems with guys. And, at times I think Bradin's a bit too cocky, too involved in his own life, and really, really stupid when it comes to his tastes in girlfriends (don't get me wrong though, I love Jesse for being his dorky self) so I purposefully made a character to bring him back down to Earth when he needs to have his feet on the ground. It's a symmetry thing! LOL!

Anyway, because of school, I can't really update this story or any others until the weekends, so I'm probably going to hold of until then to write. Things get crazy, and taking 2 senior classes when you're a junior ain't no piece of cake. So, look for updates, probably consecutively, every week! I'm off to write something else though, so please R&R when you have the time! THANKS!


	3. Chapter 2: Fitting In

"Johnny, your mother and I have been talking, and as much as we love Becca at our home, we can't keep up with her," started Johnny's father, leading the young woman with a steady hand through the doorway and down the stairs, "besides- Becca, two steps down honey- having a teenager in the house, even one who's her age..."

Johnny himself shook his head incredulously, disbelieving that his father was here, in his house, since the thirty-something man had moved to Summerland, "Pop, I—"

"I don't take up much room, Uncle John," put in Becca, silently counting the steps towards the couch and sitting down, thankful she remembered something from her visits every other summer, "Just give me my old room, and everything will be fine."

"It's not that simple, Beck. I mean, we've got the kids now—"

Mr. Durant took a seat beside his granddaughter and inquired, "That reminds me, who did that young man belong to? And you said 'kids', plural?"

The younger man followed his father's example and sat down next to him, "They're Ava's."

"Ava's married? If she's married, then why—"

Leave it to his old man to rub salt in a still gaping wound. At the end of summer, two weeks ago, Johnny had told Ava he still loved her, but it was obvious from her reaction later on how much she really seemed to like the new guy she was dating: Mr. "I'm-So-Smart-I-Have-a-Doctorate-in-Education" himself: Dr. Simon O'Keefe. His mind had screamed with jealousy at the very notion of her dating that guy, and not him, but what was he going to do? The guy had practically proposed marriage to her already, and he was left in the dust... "No, Ava's, she's... not married. Not yet anyway..."

"Then where did that young man come from?"

"Her sister," replied Becca, surprising her uncle with how blunt she was, "I remember when I was around eight and I stayed here for a month. Ava's sister with her husband visited for a week here, and they brought a boy my age and a girl a couple years younger than me."

"You remembered that?" asked Johnny.

"Yeah, how could I forget?" she snickered, "I dumped applesauce in the boy's hair when he wouldn't let me play basketball with his father."

Mr. Durant smiled, "I'm not surprised..."

Johnny all out laughed, recalling the incident himself, now that he remembered it, "That was before Susannah and Jay decided to move in... Anyway, that boy you dumped applesauce on? That's Bradin, and the girl is Nikki. They have a little brother now, Derrick, who's about eight, and they all live here..."

This seemed to pique her curiosity, "Why? What happened to their parents?"

Pain crept into his heart and sadness immediately covered his jovial smile, "Their parents were in a flood accident on their Kansas farm, and they didn't make it... Ava's got custody of them until they reach eighteen."

The news struck both the visitors and silence filled the conversation before Becca broke it, "I'm sorry... I know what that's like... more than anyone does..." Her fist clenched into a fist, "My mom's dead, and who gives a crap about my father... as far as I'm concerned," she looked indirectly towards her uncle, which all of a sudden reminded him she couldn't see, "you're more like my father than anyone else, Uncle Johnny."

Her grandfather patted her knee, "That's my girl... Johnny, you need to take her, just for a couple months, if you could fit her into this house... Your mother and I, we just can't keep up with her, and we're having the kitchen remodeled as well... One of these days, I half expect your mother and I to come home and find Becca, bleeding on the floor because she tripped over—"

"Thank you for pretending that I can't hear you," quipped the young lady, grinning, "I love it when you pretend I'm not here."

Johnny laughed, and leaned over to clamp a hand around one of hers, "Becca, since when did you get so brutally honest?"

"Since I woke up from a car accident, and realized I can't see the same way anymore."

He shook his head, trying not to remember, "Yeah, well, I have to talk to Ava, Susannah and Jay about this... as well as the kids. I mean, I don't know..."

"JOHNNY!" The voice of the youngest Westerly screamed into the house, and Derrick and Martha barreled into the room, paying no attention to the visitors until they were right in front of them, "We need you to fix a—" Derrick stopped, and looked at the older man, "Hey, you look like Johnny."

Mr. Durant laughed at his innocent question, "I'm Johnny's father. And who might you be?"

"I'm Derrick Westerly, and I'm eight. This is Martha!" He gestured wit his hand to his playmate before asking, "Is Johnny in trouble or something?"

Lord he was so cute sounding, very much like... well, how she was... Becca smiled widely, and tapped her glasses, "No he's not. We're just trying to figure out if I can stay here." Absently, she put her hand out, elbow bent, so she wouldn't hit anyone, "I'm Becca, Becca Durant."

"Durant? Are you related to Mr. Durant?" asked Martha.

"Yeah, he's my uncle."

"But you don't look like him!"

"That's because my sister was adopted," replied Johnny, standing up and grabbing his favorite little guy, hoisting him up in a fireman's carry, "And we used to do this kind of stuff all the time when we were kids!!!"

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!!" screamed Derrick with laughter, hanging upside down with his brown hair swaying left and right, "AHHHHHH!!!!! Mr. Durant! Mr. Durant! Help me! help me!"

Laughing, Becca stood up as well, waving a hand back and forth to find him, "I'll help you, Derrick!"

He looked at her hand moving back and forth with curious eyes, "HEY! HEY! I'm over here! I'm right here! Help!!!!!"

"Whoa, hold on a sec, I can't find you! I can't see!"

Mr. Durant watched the commotion as Martha took Becca's seat, grinning at the older man, "Is Becca going to stay here?"

He shrugged, trying to repress his smiles with the military training he all but threw out the window when his little girl died, "I don't know. I hope so. I have a feeling she's going to shake things up while she's here... It'd be good for her too... Maybe," he looked at the three standing people, Becca trying to wrestle Derrick away from Johnny and set him down, "I have a feeling she's going to fit in nicely here..."

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, I decided to write some more on this today, so you guys get a bonus chapter today...

Durant is spelled right: I checked on TV TOME and that's what it was. And Grullo-cowgirl, thank you for the correction on Derek's name: There's several ways to write that and I didn't know which one to use lol

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who reviewed! You guys really made my day!!!!!! I promise, I'll try and update this thing every week, on the weekends, when I can! Next weekend will be special cuz I have 3 days (It's Labor Day weekend) so I might just write another couple chapters then! Also, I need to set up a whole bunch of relationships here with these couple of chapters, leaving the Bradin/Becca one for last because that's the one that will take awhile to establish (I already have bits and pieces on a couple chapters lol). Also, when I said in the last fic chapter that Bradin, Nikki and Derrick didn't know of Becca, I meant in the personal way. Bradin and Nikki only met Becca once, during that little get together when Bradin/Becca were eight, something that will come back in a flashback, I'm hoping, later. You guys will love it! lol

Anyway, I've got to be going. See ya everyone! Thanks for reviewing everything!


	4. Chapter 3: Confrontation

The horseplay was nice for a change, and Becca actually enjoyed it; for once, she wasn't the only one under the age of twenty in a house, and Derrick's laughter lifted her spirits from an otherwise semi-brooding sort of mood.

Since he first spoke, Becca liked Derrick. He was eight, feeling like he was on top of the world, and he didn't judge. That was the main thing about him that she liked: he didn't judge her or feel sorry for her, he just pretended that it didn't matter. **I wish other people could think the way he can,** she thought, while speaking aloud, "I'm going to go on the veranda, Uncle John, ok?"

"Sure, that's cool, Beck," he said back to her to her left, and she shuffled her feet around on the floor, wading her way through a maze of coffee tables and strewn that she knew in her head weren't there the last time she had been here.

"Are you going to be ok, Becca?" asked her grandfather, worry barely masked in his voice.

"Sure Grampa," she replied, making her way to the stairs and upwards towards her destination, "I'll be fine. I know this house like the back of my hand."

Things were different here, simpler, but at the same time, more complicated.

Finding her way to the door on the second floor, she unlocked it, tried to open it, but found it jammed at the top. Curious, her thin fingered hand grazed the doorframe, and she scowled. Child protection lock. Why it was there, she didn't know; maybe it was to keep Derrick in when he was supposed to be inside, or maybe it was just added protection. She didn't know, but it gave her the chills to unlatch it and think about what exactly had happened since the last time she'd been here.

The young lady opened the door and strolled outside onto the veranda overlooking the driveway and framed in vines, taking her glasses off and enjoying the breeze on her face. Her space, this was her space whenever she came out here, and more often than not she spent the day in the strung up hammock, relaxing the day away with a good book or a pad and a pen...

Surveying the pad with her fingers, she discovered that the hammock wasn't there anymore, and a few chairs were set into its place. Becca frowned, and spoke aloud, "I'm gone for a month and the boys move everything. Typical."

Boys, boys, boys, yeah, that was an issue and a half if she ever heard one...

"What about boys?" asked a voice behind her, soft and melodious.

"Just that every time I come over here, either Jay or Uncle Johnny has moved something, and I've got to map out this entire place over again," Grinning, she turned around while placing her sunglasses back on her face, "Hey Ava."

Ava Gregory smiled back, strolling towards her and hugging her gently, "Hey Becca, how're you holding up, kiddo? I heard you were here: I was in the garage, helping Nikki find a snow globe for one of her art projects." She shook her head, "Why she wanted a snow globe, I have no idea, but whatever gets the kids motivated."

"I'm alright Ava. Just trying to figure out where to go next," replied the teen, "but it's not easy. I'm beginning to wish things never happened." A soft wind picked up a few tresses of her brown hair, her fingers brushing them back behind her ear absently, "I already miss my eyes."

"I bet. It's not easy being blind... or maybe that was being green..."

Her thoughtful sounding statement made Becca laugh, "Thanks, Ava. I needed that."

Brown eyes moistened sympathetically, and she hugged her friend's niece again, "You're welcome. Now, what do we owe to this unexpected visit?"

Becca swallowed, "Um... apparently, my grandparents are getting rid of me."

"Oh really?" Laughter echoed the words, "Now why would they do that?"

"Because apparently, my mother wanted Uncle Johnny to take me if something ever happened to her."

The situation and the words seemed to flood in new emotions and ripping open old wounds in her heart, "Y-Yeah? So what does that mean, that Johnny is your guardian?"

"Ever since my mother died, the lawyers have been talking about finding my father, but at this point, I don't think he's ever coming back... All of my mother's money will be suspended in my name until I reach eighteen, then I can access it, but nothing before that... Listen, Ava, if it's anything to you, I'd really like to stay here. As much as I love Nana and Grampa, I like it here better. Besides, I'm too well known back in MO-town. You don't get into a car accident and have been caught drinking, smoking and whatnot without some sort of a hitch along with it." A moment passed before, "And I hate pity looks. Everyone gives me pity looks."

"Pity looks? How do you know they're giving you pity looks?"

"Ava, I can practically feel their eyes on my back all the time. Oh yeah, I get pity looks. It makes me uncomfortable."

Becca sensed her moving before she did, and the squeak of the old ivy trellis signaled that Ava had leaned against it, "I'm sorry Becca, but things might not work out like the way you want them to. Now with Nikki, Derrick and Bradin in the house, we're packed full... Nikki has the room you always had, and with Jay in the boat house, me and Susannah in the same room, Derrick and Bradin sharing one, plus Johnny with his own? Not to mention Erika..."

The name piqued her interest, "Erika? Erika Spalding? Is she here?"

"Yeah, she and Jay have been off and on for the better part of the summer."

The irony made her grin, "I knew it. Erika loved Jay to pieces; she just wouldn't admit it."

"Can we get back to the point here? What I mean is that we're too full in this house as is."

"I know that, Ava. I mean, sheesh, just set up the hammock, I'll sleep out here..." Becca gestured to the pad, "sleep out here, have my clothes inside, that's fine with me."

"Yeah, well, it's not fine with me," replied Ava, "I mean, there's all kinds of things out here! Bugs, viruses... I mean, you could catch West Nile, and when it does rain, oh boy..."

Patience and keeping a level head was most of the time hard for her, and this time was no exception. Angry, Becca stalked off without another word, leaving Ava in uncomfortable silence. So much for her space.

* * *

Later on, Becca found herself walking outside, barefoot, along the beach, hearing the waves breaking along the shore and the shouts of the surfers hooting and hollering for big scores or bad wipeouts. She was still angry, that was for sure; so where we she going to live now? In a cardboard box on the side of the road, or a broken down car on the side of the highway? Her left foot knocked into a shell, most likely with a crab in it, and she kicked it as best she could into the surf. It wasn't like she wanted to be blind, and she wanted her mother dead. It wasn't like she wanted her father to be the lowlife he really was, walking out on them both before she was born. She wasn't asking for much: just for a roof over her head, things to eat, and a place to sleep. Was that too much to ask?

Fuming, she almost didn't hear the voice calling after her, "Hey! HEY!" A hand touched her shoulder, and she immediately shook it off, finding herself talking to the same person who had answered the door at her Uncle John's place, only this time, he was soaking wet in his blue and black wet suit, his blonde hair shaded in a brown tone, "Hey, I've been calling after you for five minutes!"

"My suggestion? Keep calling."

She tried to pass him but he caught the top of her arm, "Look, I don't know what you're problem is--"

"Who said I had a problem?" she retorted, offended.

Bradin shook his head, confused, "Listen! We obviously got off on the wrong foot back at the house, ok? So let's start over, introduce ourselves, all that jazz..."

"Fine. You go first."

"Fine. I'm Bradin. Bradin Westerly."

"Nice Kansas. Do you do that often? You know, introducing yourself to some unsuspecting girl? Because I could have sworn you had that practiced." Why was she trying to start a fight?

He seemed a bit set back at her statement, "Usually when someone introduces themselves, the other person does too."

"I'm charmed, but not stupid. You guys are all alike, you know that? Sex is embedded into your brain, so really, who cares about my name?"

"OK, WHAT are you talking about?" Was it his imagination or was this girl getting weirder by the moment?

Becca stared at him as best she could, managing to position her eyes cock-eyed to where he really was, "Let me put it to you this way, Bradin: I don't like guys. I don't trust them, don't like 'em, and I think they're trouble. You're a guy, so therefore, I don't like, you, don't trust you, and I think you're trouble. Do I need to give you the taped version of my lecture or have you gotten the picture?"

Green eyes narrowed in confusion, "Why?"

"You're a guy. Ergo, the boy rules apply. Now if you'll excuse me, Johnny Tsunami, I have more walking to do." She turned away from him and left, leaving him to stare after her and left to his own thoughts.

**She's got problems,** he thought to himself, **but she seems vaguely familiar to me for some reason... Oh well... Callie should be here any minute.** He grinned, thinking of his girlfriend, her long brown hair waving from the ocean's breeze, "Can't wait..."

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone, another chapter for the growing plot! As of right now, my computer is literally crap. And as I'm speaking to you, I'm telling my friend Alexis (say hi Alexis when you get the chance) to please make corrections and whatnot to this chapter, because my computer is just overall crap right now. I can't correct or bold anything, I can't really POST it either; at the moment, that's all Alexis. Hopefully I'll get my computer fixed soon though....

Anyway, thank you all for the reviews, and I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did when I wrote it! I promise you, I'll get more into developing the plot and everything, with a few chapters here and there without Becca in them... the question is when. I'll get around to it... Anyway, I'll see you guys later! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	5. Chapter 4: An Uneasy Truce

Johnny watched his father shifting in his chair, slightly uncomfortable still in his presence. "Pop, you know this won't work with Ava's nephews and her niece, you know, having Becca here. We're over full already, and this would only make it worse. I love Beck, but it won't work..."

"Johnny, she has to stay here," replied his father sternly, in the same tone Johnny could still hear in the back of his mind, and still cringed at. "We can't have her, and we're still trying to contact her biological father, although whether that SOB would take her in is still a mystery."

"Is he even still alive? You don't even know that, Pop."

"One thing's for sure," replied a voice from the stairs, and Ava graced their presence. "This house has its own problems and it's over crowded, but we can't just leave her out on the street, now can we?"

Mr. Durant nodded his head respectfully and rose, shuffling his feet to accept the woman's gentle hug. "Hello Ava. You're as beautiful as always."

Flattered, she grinned. "Thank you, Mr. Durant."

It had been a long time since Nathan Durant had seen Ava, and for the life of him, he couldn't have been more pleasantly shocked at how beautiful she was. Again, he wondered in his mind of why his son had never put forth his marriage proposal all those years ago, when both him and Ava have been happy together. It was those type of questions which troubled Nathan; it didn't make sense to his logical brain. If Johnny loved Ava, why didn't he react?

"Ava, we can't have Becca here. As much as I would love it, we just simply don't have the room--"

"Nikki could spare a space by the stairway, big enough for a cot that Becca can sleep on," put in the blonde woman, determined to have things her way. "And one more mouth to feed isn't that big of a deal. We can manage, even with what little we have."

"If you're worried about the money," said Nathan, smiling mysteriously, "You won't have to spend more than you have to. Since Maria passed away, she left every cent to her daughter, and on top of that, the welfare checks should be enough income to feed and clothe her."

Ava nodded. "I don't want to sound conceited, but it sounds like we'd benefit by having Becca here."

Johnny frowned, but agreed. "Yeah, it would, but I don't want her to stay here just because we need the money."

"To be honest, son, I think she'd stay regardless of what you have to say," replied Nathan. "She loves this house, and you are her legal guardian..."

The younger man sighed, and rubbed his brown eyes, clearly still unsure of what had to be done but pressed on anyway. "Alright, fine. Where's the transfer papers, Pop? I'll sign them immediately."

Becca kicked a smooth stone down the warm sandy beach, cursing Bradin under her breath. Why wouldn't guys like him leave her alone? Did he not know she hated guys, or was he just plain stupid? I mean, yeah, he was trying to be nice, but there was just something about him that rubbed her wrong, something about him that spelled trouble. She'd done trouble back home, and definitely didn't want it now. Couldn't she ever get away?

Obviously not, as a now familiar set of footsteps barreled down the beach towards her. "Becca! Hey Becca!"

She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "What did I tell you, Kansas? I don't like you."

"Why?" He seemed a bit angry himself. "I mean, I'm nice to you, I introduce myself to you, hell, I even want to hang with you and help you get used to this place before--"

"I KNOW PLAYA LINDA LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND!!!" she shrieked, whirling around to face the direction of his voice. "I used to come here twice a year!!!!"

She couldn't see him shake his head, but she could picture it. "Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but--"

"You want to know what my problem is? Huh? THIS IS MY PROBLEM!" A swift pull on her glasses revealed her blind eyes, and she scowled, pointing the tips of the shades towards him. "A guy did this to me, someone I cared about so much that I decided to be an idiot, and trust him. You know NOTHING about my life, NOTHING about what I've been through, and NOTHING about me, so polite or not, nice or not, I don't want anything to do with you! Do you get THAT message?"

Bradin was silent for a moment before he started talking again. "Becca, look, my girlfriend is going to be here any second."

"Yippee for you."

"I want you to hang with us."

"What?" she yelped, and laughed slightly. "You want ME to hang with YOU? Why?"

"Do you know anybody here?"

"Yes. Do you know how stupid that question was?"

"I'm trying to be nice here!!!!! Look, you can either hang with me and my girlfriend, or you can do whatever you want, I don't care. I'm just trying to be..."

Becca placed her glasses back on the brim of her nose, and sighed, frustrated. Didn't this guy take no for an answer? "I don't need nice. I need you to stay out of my fucking way."

"You know what? I don't even know why I bother. You're impossible!!! I'm trying to be nice to you, show you a good time, and obviously you can't do--"

"DON'T YOU DARE GO THERE!!!!!!" she screamed at him, her left hand swiping the air in her best attempt at slapping him. "DON'T YOU DARE!!!!!!"

Surprisingly, she caught his right shoulder. "OW! Damn, you don't have to take it all out on the world, Becca!"

"You have NO idea what I've been through, Bradin Westerly."

"I could if you'd tell me."

"I LOST MY MOTHER!!!!!! Fine, ok, happy now?"

"Yeah, well, I lost both my parents," he said quietly and sighed, frustrated.

Becca froze for a moment before... "I lost my eyes. Ha, topped you."

"Look, if you don't want friends, fine. I don't care. Go back to doing what you were doing, and forget about what I said. I'll see you later."

His feet started crunching the sand, indicating his departure, and she felt slightly guilty for everything she said. It looked like they did have a bit more in common than she thought. "Bradin."

The crunching stopped. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too."

"Look, can we just... we just call this a truce and get on with it? Sounds like we both have a lot on our plates. And if Uncle Johnny says yes, we're going to be housemates anyway. I don't need the stress; I don't think you do either."

She could practically feel him smile. "Yeah, we can do that."

"I still don't like you."

"Fine."

"I think you're trouble."

"Whatever works for you."

"You're a cocky bastard."

"What?"

"Where are we meeting your girlfriend? At the Surf Shop, at 2:30? Got it."

"What did you say about--"

"Great, bye," she said, before running as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Sometimes she loved leaving boys clueless. Especially when she hated them.

* * *

**A/N:** As some of you guys have noticed, Yeah, I haven't updated. I've tried to do it on a weekly basis, but I can't keep up with it most of the time. I'm working on so many projects it's not even funny. So, ergo, I'll update when I feel like it. I'm sorry guys, but I'm not sure when the next update will be.

And thank you all for your reviews. I judge my work on how many reviews I get on a piece, and when it's a good turnout, even with these bouts of inactivity, then it's absolutely fabulous. I really appreciate it, and you guys rule!

Also, concerning Becca... these first few chapters, she's going to be a bitch to Bradin. There's no way of getting around that, she's going to be nasty to him becuase she doesn't like him, and he rubs her wrong. And he might pick fights with her because he's trying to be open to her, trying to make her feel welcome, and she shuts him out. They can't stand each other, but, as you can see, can make uneasy truces and the like... I'm still planning this to be a Bradin/Becca story though, and you'll see how this progresses, and how other plot elements will come in. I want, at one point in time, Becca's biological father to come in, and he's only coming for her because of the money she gets from her mother, so that will be interesting. There will be things getting thrown every which way, trusts get broken, promises aren't kept, that sort of thing. It's going to be interesting.

I might pick this up more as the new season of Summerland starts... We'll have to see. Anyway, I'm off to work on another project that needs to be done, and I have homework to do too. So see you all later! Bye!


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